Nearly four years after her disappearance, Idaho law enforcement officials have discovered items belonging to a missing Ardoch, N.D., woman, and no foul play is suspected in her disappearance. A prosthetic knee and a pickup belonging to Florence Dumontet, who was 82 when she went missing in Oct. 2011, were discovered last week in Shoshone County, Idaho, the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office announced Monday.
The Shoshone County Sheriff's Office told the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office July 1 that hikers found a leg bone with a titanium prosthetic knee attached. On the prosthetic was a serial number that was traced to one belonging to Dumontet from a surgery she had in 2010. Dumontet went missing during an annual trip from North Dakota to Washington state to visit family and friends. Shoshone County Undersheriff Rod Plank said the prosthetic and pickup were found in a heavily wooded ravine called "Lookout Pass," which is located less than a mile west of the Idaho-Montana border along Interstate 90. After finding the prosthetic Wednesday night, cadaver dogs were used to search the immediate area for clues, but the canines were unable to pick up scent. On Friday, law enforcement used a helicopter and was able to spot the vehicle, which matched the description of the one Dumontet drove during her trip. Near the site of the pickup, other bones, including a skull, were found. Law enforcement, however, has not confirmed if those remains belonged to Dumontet. Plank said the prosthetic was found roughly half a mile from where the pickup was later located. Accidental death Though the investigation is still ongoing, law enforcement believes Dumontet's death was a motor vehicle accident. While foul play hasn't been completely ruled out, Grand Forks County Sheriff's Deputy Dan Hillebrand said a preliminary look at the remains show injuries consistent with an accident. Furthermore, all of the windows in the truck were broken and the vehicle sustained "significant damage," he said. "It's still early in the process, but no foul play is suspected at this time," Hillebrand said. It is unknown if icy roads or a health condition contributed to the accident, but a full autopsy of the remains will be complete in a couple weeks, Grand Forks County Sheriff Bob Rost said. Following the discovery of the prosthetic limb, Idaho law enforcement officials then flew a helicopter in the area where it was discovered and found Dumontet's vehicle about 500 yards away from the interstate. A photo of the scene provided by law enforcement shows a steep, wooded cliff to the north of the interstate. Law enforcement did not say exactly how far the pickup fell down the cliff, but Rost said 1,700 feet of cable was used to raise the pickup from the ravine. The area where the items were found had been flown over by aircraft numerous times throughout the search process in the past three and a half years, but because of the wooded and secluded location of the pickup, it was not seen until last week. Law enforcement said they have not yet searched through the truck, but hope to do so in a few days. Final trip Dumontet was on her way to visit family and friends in Shelton, Wash., a town in the state's Olympic Peninsula. Dumontet had made the annual trek more than a dozen times. In 2011, Dumontet was last seen driving a black 2008 Lincoln Mark LT crew cab pickup and was spotted fueling up her truck at 7:22 a.m. Oct. 16 at Simonson's on Gateway Drive in Grand Forks. Accompanied by her cream-colored poodle, Peaches, Dumontet then was seen leaving a gas station off Interstate 90 in Butte, Mont. at 9:22 p.m. The following morning around 10 a.m., a manager at Muralt's Travel Plaza in Missoula, Mont., said he spotted Dumontet and told authorities the North Dakota native was having trouble with her pickup. At that point, law enforcement theorizes the pickup went over the guardrail, tumbled down the ravine and Dumontet was ejected from the automobile. Rost said he was told by a family member that Dumontet was notorious for not wearing a seatbelt, and, if that were the case, it may have caused her to be ejected from the truck. Ardoch, N.D., Dumontet's hometown, is located 28 miles northwest of Grand Forks. Note: This story has been updated to correct earlier information on when Grand Forks County officials were contacted by the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office.Nearly four years after her disappearance, Idaho law enforcement officials have discovered items belonging to a missing Ardoch, N.D., woman, and no foul play is suspected in her disappearance.A prosthetic knee and a pickup belonging to Florence Dumontet, who was 82 when she went missing in Oct. 2011, were discovered last week in Shoshone County, Idaho, the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office announced Monday.
The Shoshone County Sheriff's Office told the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office July 1 that hikers found a leg bone with a titanium prosthetic knee attached. On the prosthetic was a serial number that was traced to one belonging to Dumontet from a surgery she had in 2010.Dumontet went missing during an annual trip from North Dakota to Washington state to visit family and friends.Shoshone County Undersheriff Rod Plank said the prosthetic and pickup were found in a heavily wooded ravine called "Lookout Pass," which is located less than a mile west of the Idaho-Montana border along Interstate 90.After finding the prosthetic Wednesday night, cadaver dogs were used to search the immediate area for clues, but the canines were unable to pick up scent.On Friday, law enforcement used a helicopter and was able to spot the vehicle, which matched the description of the one Dumontet drove during her trip. Near the site of the pickup, other bones, including a skull, were found. Law enforcement, however, has not confirmed if those remains belonged to Dumontet.Plank said the prosthetic was found roughly half a mile from where the pickup was later located.Accidental deathThough the investigation is still ongoing, law enforcement believes Dumontet's death was a motor vehicle accident.While foul play hasn't been completely ruled out, Grand Forks County Sheriff's Deputy Dan Hillebrand said a preliminary look at the remains show injuries consistent with an accident. Furthermore, all of the windows in the truck were broken and the vehicle sustained "significant damage," he said."It's still early in the process, but no foul play is suspected at this time," Hillebrand said.It is unknown if icy roads or a health condition contributed to the accident, but a full autopsy of the remains will be complete in a couple weeks, Grand Forks County Sheriff Bob Rost said.Following the discovery of the prosthetic limb, Idaho law enforcement officials then flew a helicopter in the area where it was discovered and found Dumontet's vehicle about 500 yards away from the interstate.A photo of the scene provided by law enforcement shows a steep, wooded cliff to the north of the interstate. Law enforcement did not say exactly how far the pickup fell down the cliff, but Rost said 1,700 feet of cable was used to raise the pickup from the ravine.The area where the items were found had been flown over by aircraft numerous times throughout the search process in the past three and a half years, but because of the wooded and secluded location of the pickup, it was not seen until last week.Law enforcement said they have not yet searched through the truck, but hope to do so in a few days.Final tripDumontet was on her way to visit family and friends in Shelton, Wash., a town in the state's Olympic Peninsula. Dumontet had made the annual trek more than a dozen times.In 2011, Dumontet was last seen driving a black 2008 Lincoln Mark LT crew cab pickup and was spotted fueling up her truck at 7:22 a.m. Oct. 16 at Simonson's on Gateway Drive in Grand Forks.Accompanied by her cream-colored poodle, Peaches, Dumontet then was seen leaving a gas station off Interstate 90 in Butte, Mont. at 9:22 p.m. The following morning around 10 a.m., a manager at Muralt's Travel Plaza in Missoula, Mont., said he spotted Dumontet and told authorities the North Dakota native was having trouble with her pickup.At that point, law enforcement theorizes the pickup went over the guardrail, tumbled down the ravine and Dumontet was ejected from the automobile.Rost said he was told by a family member that Dumontet was notorious for not wearing a seatbelt, and, if that were the case, it may have caused her to be ejected from the truck.Ardoch, N.D., Dumontet's hometown, is located 28 miles northwest of Grand Forks.Note: This story has been updated to correct earlier information on when Grand Forks County officials were contacted by the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office.
